An entertaining sci-fi actioner, but could have been really great---7/10

Rating: 7/10 (30 July 2005)

I don't care what people think of Micheal Bay. When it comes to action movies, he has made some of the very best including the Rock and Bad Boys. Sure Pearl Harbor was weak (except for the actual Pearl Harbor scene, which takes only 30% of the movie), but nobody's perfect. With the Island, i was expecting something along the lines of Minority Report meets the Rock. A movie that would blow me away with jaw-dropping action, amazing special effects and a cool story. Well, it didn't turn out just like that. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed the movie, but not as much as i would have liked.
For one, the story didn't do much for me. It seems like the story was merely an excuse for special effects and action, instead of being part of the movie. Now, i love action, and the high speed chase in the movie was pretty damn good. But for me to really get into the action, i have to be drawn in by a good story. Also, the quick camera cuts weren't very pretty, and i am actually getting sick of every movie using them. Whatever happened to still camera?
Now that i got the cons out of the way, i can tell you what i liked about the movie. The underground facility at the beginning was cool, and a great intro for the movie. The whole lottery spin idea was also cool, but would have been more exciting if commercials hadn't ruined the outcome for us. Damn marketers! The performances by Ewan McGregor (quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. Go Obi!) and Scarlett Johansson (mmm...Scarlett Johansson) were very good, throwing in some class and humanity in a sort of movie where there is usually neither. And did i mention the chase scene? One of the better action scenes of the year, very intense and imaginative.
While this is no Matrix, the Island is a pretty entertaining summer blockbuster that has enough action, pretty faces, and eye-candy to fill your sci-fi needs until they make Equilibrium 2.---7/10